Jim Siplon Named Interim President of EDC Warren County
Jim Siplon is the new interim president of the Economic Development Corporation of Warren County after the death of longtime president Ed Bartholomew last week.
“We know we cannot fill Ed Bartholomew’s shoes and his legacy will endure here at EDC forever,” EDC Board Chairman Matt Fuller said in a press release. “We also know that, if Ed were here, he would tell us to keep moving forward and get the work done.
“Jim Siplon will help our Board ensure that the many critical economic development projects that Ed was spearheading continue to move forward. There is so much work to do, and we will do it together and in Ed’s honor.’’
Mr. Siplon is the former Chief Operating Officer for JUST Water. In that role, he spearheaded the company’s effort to draw spring water from a well in the City’s watershed and present it in environmentally friendly packaging.
He also served as managing director of FIJI Water, was a senior executive at MCI Communications, and recently started Rethinkh20, a consulting firm that aims to help large-scale water users reduce their water consumption.
Mr. Siplon served in the U.S. Air Force for eight years, and earned an undergraduate degree in astrophysics from Utah State University and a master’s in business administration from Boston University.
Contacted for comment, he told Glens Falls Living, “Ed Bartholomew is an icon. He’s like Mount Rushmore of the North Country to me. Everything I know about this place started with meeting him and having him be a trusted navigator and friend. JUST would not be what it is today without him and I think that same story would apply to so many businesses and ventures and organizations. He’s just a giant.
“So our whole focus right now is on just recognizing his enormous contribution over a lifetime. We want to just take a deep breath and let all of that sink in for everybody, and then we have to figure out how to carry his legacy forward, which will be a challenge but something I think he would want us to do.”
Mr. Siplon said, “We were all in a bit of shock but we discussed informally as a board, how do we continue to provide support for this community in an unprecedented time. That’s our responsibility. We’ve got to figure out how to see through the fog to be able to do that. So it started informally, with conversations among the board members, as to what are our options, what could we do…I think so many people from the board would have done anything they could…I certainly had more time than some of them because I had stepped away from JUST so recently. I think we all just looked at each other and said, how do we do this? It just seemed like a good fit.”
He pointed out that “We would have had to do this at some point anyway, because all organizations have to figure out how they are going to do succession planning and move from one generation to another.
“…Ultimately what’s driving all of this is the need for us to figure out how to support the community in a time that none of us have any real reference point for. This [pandemic] is an unprecedented event that is happening in all of our lives, and what we need to do is put all of the best minds and talents that we have together to figure out how to provide the very best support we can to a place that we all love.
“Ed is an irreplaceable asset, not only in terms of what he brought to the plate but the way he did everything he did. We’re all trying to figure out what to do next. I wrote a note to the board last weekend and said the first thing we’ve got to do is grieve with our friends and neighbors. And the second thing we have to do is take up the torch that he held for so many years and make sure that that torch stays lit.”
Honoring Ed Bartholomew
As we all come to grips with the passing of Ed Bartholomew, I started thinking about how the City of Glens Falls and the region can honor his legacy.
The obvious thing to do would be to name the soon-to-be-built year-round Farmers’ Market on South Street after him. Glens Falls was first in line to get $10-million in redevelopment funds because of Ed. It’s only fitting that his name adorn the new building.
Another obvious choice would be to name Cool Insuring Arena, formerly known as the Glens Falls Civic Center, after Bartholomew. But that name is taken, at least for the near future.
Some have suggested Centennial Circle be renamed in Mr. Bartholomew’s memory. I like the idea. But I’m thinking bigger, just like Ed did.
What about renaming the bridge between Glens Falls and South Glens Falls “The Edward M. Bartholomew Memorial Bridge?” It’s officially the “Cooper’s Cave Bridge” now, but I know of few people who call it that.
As many have noted, Ed was a bridge builder. He connected people and ideas, communities and concepts. I think the Bartholomew Bridge has a nice ring to it.
Or, what about renaming City Park? It’s in the heart of downtown that Ed loved so much. The City owns most of the park, and could easily rename it’s portion to honor the former Mayor. It seems to me it would be a fitting tribute.
Mayor Dan Hall tells me he’s confident the City will find an appropriate way to honor the man who did so much for Glens Falls, and for the region. I’m confident they will, too.
GF City School District Buys Supplies For All Of Its Students
The Glens Falls City School District is spending $95,000 to buy school supplies for all of its 2,000-plus students this fall.
“The theory behind this is we're a public school with taxing authority,” said assistant superintendent for business Bobby Yusko to Glens Falls Living, responding to our query.
“Many of the items traditionally found on school supply lists are purchased by school districts on a regular basis, anyway.
“So, in doing my own school supply shopping for my son, I thought, why wouldn't schools use their purchasing power (wholesale prices, items on state contracts, etc.) to purchase these items for our students, rather than pass the burden onto families, especially in these tough financial times?
“Additionally, there is always a disparity of supplies actually purchased by families — some buy them, some do not — because some may not be capable to purchase additional supplies due to their own financial situation, so this definitely levels the playing field from the parent perspective.”
Mr. Yusko said, “We purchased supplies based on our enrollment in March 2020, which was roughly 2,075 students…We purchased grade level supplies based on the enrollment in each grade level at each respective building.”
Supplies include pencils, pens, crayons, scissors, glue, Post-it notes, paper, binders, notebooks, folders, disinfectant wipes and headphones.
“We used a budget estimate of $50/student, which totals $103,750,” Mr. Yusko said. “Fortunately, the amount spent was less than budgeted. We purchased 2020-2021 school supplies with budgeted funds in the 2019-2020 school year, and we plan to continue this cycle annually (purchase 2021-22 supplies with budgeted 2020-21 funds, and so on).”
School Districts Announcing Reopening Plans
Ahead of the July 31st deadline, school districts are starting to release their tentative plans for reopening. Those plans still must be approved by the State.
It’s no surprise that many of the plans are similar, as the school superintendents have been working together closely since the beginning of the pandemic, led by BOCES chief Jim Dexter.
Here’s the blueprint that you’ll likely see throughout the region: Younger students will attend classes in person. Older students will attend school in person for part of the week, and participate in remote learning the rest of the week. Everyone will be socially distanced and wear masks. Parents can opt out of their children attending classes, and do 100% remote learning.
COVID-19 Update
Warren County continues to monitor dozens of residents under mandatory quarantine, but as of Tuesday had no new infections from two nursing home employees who tested positive last week. There were also no new infections stemming from a girls lacrosse team traveling to New Jersey for a tournament and later discovering a teammate has the coronavirus.
Warren County had seven cases as of Wednesday, five of them mild, two are seriously/critically ill- both of these patients are hospitalized.
Washington County has two active cases, and neither resident is hospitalized.
Saratoga County has 58 active cases and four hospitalizations.
Of some concern is the percentage of coronavirus test results from the eight-county Capital Region that includes Warren, Washington and Saratoga counties. The Times-Union’s Bethany Bump reports that the Capital Region had the highest percentage of positive test results in the state — 1.6% on July 22, 1.5% on July 23 and 1.6% on July 24.
“Albany County officials said they are worried about the sustained increase in cases they have been seeing the last couple of weeks,” Ms. Bump reported.
The Capital Region saw 78 new cases Monday, the largest one-day total in July, she reported. And Albany County Executive Dan McCoy said Tuesday that more than 50 of their new positive cases are from young people ages 20-29.
Ripple Effect of COVID-19: Surge Of In-Home Care For Seniors
Interesting story in the Times Union on the home care industry.
Bethany Bump reports that in-home health care agencies “are fielding increased inquiries and demand for home care in recent months, and believe the fear of cognition and isolation at nursing homes caused by the pandemic is to blame.”
Bowling Centers Press Cuomo on Reopening
It’s been 134 days since Doug Bohannon had bowlers at his 42-lane Kingpin’s Alley Family Bowling Center in South Glens Falls. Bowling centers were ordered closed on March 16, and are still awaiting the go-ahead to reopen.
“That’s 134 days of no revenue,” Mr. Bohannon said. “I applied for a PPP loan that was funded through the end of April. That money is gone.
“I’ve gotten deferments on my mortgages, but those 90-day deferments have come and gone. Bowling leagues start in September. That’s our bread and butter. If we don’t have leagues, you’re going to see a lot of bowling centers go out of business. It’s already started happening.”
Mr. Bohannon was recently elected president of the New York State Bowling Proprietors Association. He’s owned Kingpin’s Alley for seven years.
After more than four months, he’s beyond frustrated.
“We’re working very hard to get the Governor’s attention,” Mr. Bohannon said. “We’re trying to at least get some information. We heard we were going to be able to reopen on July 1st, when we entered Phase Four, but that didn’t happen, and we haven’t heard anything since.”
He said he had installed high-end filters in his HVAC system, and has a detailed reopening plan.
“The Governor’s silence is deafening,” he said. “We’re just looking for guidance. Tell us what we need to do and we’ll do it. Every other business has gotten guidance from the state. Social distancing will not be an issue.”
A press conference is scheduled for Friday at Kingpin’s Alley. State Senator Daphne Jordan and Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner are scheduled to attend.
“We have to make some noise,” he said. Info: 518-793-9606.
Sweets By Marisa Closes
Marisa and Josh Fountain announced that they have closed Sweets by Marisa.
“It is with an extremely heavy heart to announce that Josh and I had to officially close Sweets by Marisa due to Covid-19 and leasing issues,” the couple wrote on Facebook. “We hope that we will eventually be able to reopen a store location and see all of our amazing customers again. Thank you to everyone who has supported us for the last three years. Please feel free to message us on Facebook, Instagram, or email us in the meantime. Stay safe and healthy and we hope to see everyone again soon.”
Ending on a High Note
Steven “Scratch” Scarselletta has retired after 45 years at Finch Paper. He started at Finch on July 1st, 1975. In the photo supplied by Finch are, from left to right: Mike Mack (Woodyard Area Manager), Mr. Scarselletta, Eric Wood (VP Manufacturing & Supply Chain) and Deba Mukherjee (President & CEO). Best wishes on your retirement!
Until next time -
Gordon
